to draw the curtain
2
3.7
- phrasal verb
- Bela's thin arm appears and draws the curtain tight.
Examples
-
We'd better draw the curtains.
-
After checking the view out the window, he draws the curtains.
Fiction book (1995) -
Shall I draw the curtains? -
-
Well, from now on, I'll be sure to draw the curtains.
-
Draw the curtains, please, before someone sees me in here.
-
The doctor slowly draws the curtain around her bed.
Fiction book (1990) -
Our days passed in this fashion, and at night, when the bookstore closed, she got up and drew the curtain.
Fiction book (1994) -
Alfred draws the curtains, welcoming rich autumn sun.
Fiction book (1995) -
I kissed my daughter's wide, warm forehead, then drew the curtain around her bed.
Fiction book (1997) -
Before the show starts, please draw the curtain to create some suspense.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
To close something so it is not open
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to close a curtain by pulling it across a window' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'draw' (to pull) with 'curtain' (a hanging cloth used to cover a window). This is a straightforward verb + object composition and matches common cross-linguistic patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
The phrase draw the curtain comes from the simple action of pulling a curtain across a window, which is to draw it closed so the room becomes dark or private. That's why it means 'to close a curtain'.